Improvement in targets



T. H. MEAD.

Target'.

Patented 0 ct.'19, 1875.

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N FETEHS. PHDTO-LITHDGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. U n.

PATENTY rrron,

THEODORE'H. MEAD, OF NEW YORK,"N. Y.'

IMPROVEMENT IN TARGETS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 169,019, dated October 19,1875; application filed September 16, 1575.

To all whom it mag/concern:

Beit known thatl, THEoDoRE H. MEAD, of the city, county, and State` of New York, have invented an Improvement in Targets, of which the'following .is a specification:

In the accompanying. drawings,A in which like. letters ofreference indicate likeiparts,

l Figure l is a perspective view; Fig.. 2, a sectional view; Fig. 3, a rear View. Figs. 4 and 5 illustrate themodeof han ging the disks upon..

the mandrel, and Figs. 6 and.4 7 are -sectional views of modications of the target.

In target practice at long ran-ge the difficulty of determining with exactuess, even with the aid of a powerful fglass, thepreeise point Where the target hasbeen struck has heretoiorenecessitated the stationin g of markers in close proximity to .the target. Whose duty 1t 1ste. register thelocation of :each shot hitting the target. Many inconveniences arise from this system. rlhe services of markersk are expensive; the length of .time required to communicatey the yresult of each shot to the firing-point, where a foot-messenger isfdef. pended upon, is annoying; the costattending the use of telegraphic or mechanical signaling, and the great danger to Whichthe markers are subjected, are serious4 objections,`which preclude the adoption of target practice in private galleries at; any range; Which stations the target beyond the natural vision .of the marksman, or at such a distance as to render it impossible to examine the shot-marks from the tiring-point.

My invention is designed to overcome these objections, and to provide a target which will instantly communicate an indication of the part struck without depending upon any other medium than that afforded by the target itself. It consists in making the target of a series of sonorous plates or disks, isolated from and overlapping each other, so as to form a series of concentric rings or other-shaped surfaces, constituting the bulls-eye, center, inner,7 and outer portions, which, when struck by the bullets, will emit sounds which so vary from each other as to clearly indicate the portion ofthe target struck.

Another part of the invention consists in providing the target with a bulls-eye which is comprised in a sliding bolt, Which, when slightlyreciprocatedby theiforce of the,ball,. will throw up and momentarily.expose or displayasignal'above the target, which maybe distinguished at the .firing-point, saidsignal being capable otrestoring itself to itsnormalA position .out of sight, readyto be again, raised. 'lhe disksA C E G, which represent, re.-l

spectively, the outer, inner, center, andbulls-,-

outer plate .to the bulls-eye, which. is vf0l1,11d

to be most effective ,inpractical use. These plates or disks are represented in Figs. l and, 2 as seated `and held upon a mandrel, turned down to form short sections havingas many. diameters. The disks, bearingagainst theshoulders thus formed, are consequently supported the proper distance apart; but it is to be ob-I served that a mandrel having the saine diameter throughout. may be used, and-the seats. which separate the disks be formed byV wash@ ers or thimbles, asin Fig. v7. The, sole object to be accomplished is the perfect isolation of, one plate frointhe =other, so that the 4vibra-V tionscaused in onesby the force ofthe bullet striking it may not be interrupted or retarded by contact with or interference from another; and in order to etfectually provide for perfect vibrations, and consequent full tones, thesupporting-mandrel is so shaped in cross-section as to be of smaller diameter than the perforation in the plate, and yet provide a sharp angular rest or seat, as at u, Figs. .t and 5, upon which the disks are hung, and which provides the least obstruction to their perfect vibrations.

If desirable, square, oetagonal, or other many-sidedv plates may be used, particularly where the target is of large dimensions and designed for a very long range. 'lhus constructed, the target may be supported in an upright position by any means, as its place of use may suggest or require. In the drawings I have shown it, Fig. 2, secured to a plate, o,

from which a right-angular foot-piece, p, projects to afford a means for fastening it upon the top of a post. Its mandrel may project through the post, as in Figs. Gand 7, or it may be secured directly to the face of a post or wall, or be supported by legs suitably fastened to it. Since the surface `area ot' the central plate or bulls-eye will, in many cases, be so small as to prevent the use of a plate whose sound will be strong enough to reach the ear at any considerable distance from it, it becomes desirable to indicate the hitting of the bulls-eyeby other means than sound. In such case the target is furnished with ahollow or bored mandrel, in which a bolt, d, is centrally suspended, so as to freely reciprocate, by 'means of short straps e e', hung upon small brackets rising from the mandrel and plate o, as plainly appearsin the drawing. One end Ot' this bolt is a circular head or plate, forming its exposed surface or the bulls-eye, and the other is arranged to bear on one arm of a bell-crank lever, b, pivoted to an arm, a, at the rear of the target. A vertical rod, e, resting loosely in suitable eyes or a sleeve, m, is

seated upon thevother arm of the bell-crank lever, Awhile its upper end branches out into arms f5 and i', which support a signal, F. When the bulls-eye thus formed is struck, the boltdfis slightly reciprocated by the force of the ball, and raises the signal upward, so as to expose it momentarily at the top of the target, as in Fig. 1. When its momentum is spent it falls by its own gravity until it rests in its normal position, as in Fig. 3, while the bolt d, which has been slightly raised as it swung rearward in the plates e and e', in like manner', gravitates to its original position, when the target is in condition for a repetition of this movement. This signal will generally be composed of a light frame, overl which is stretched a light-colored fabric; but it may bea plate covered with anylight-colored composition, or any other device Or material answering the purpose which is capable of being raised by the force of the bulletfand which, at the same time, maybe distinguish ed at the tiring-point. When it is desired that the striking of the bulls-eye shall be indicated by a sound greater in volume than the plate forming it will emit, I provide a hollow supporting-mandrel, with the bolt ot the b ullseye reciprocating therein, asbefore explained, but which is adapted to strike against a sounding-plate or bell. D, at the rear of the target, as in Fig. 4. This plate or bell, though of large dimensions, is protected from being struck except by the bulls-eye bolt, and, being tuned in a different key from the rest of the plates, will plainly indicate when a bulls eye is made. l

By my invention is provided a target which will indicate its portion struck by a clear and l well-defined note or sound, which renders target practice at long range upon private grounds a convenient and desirable pleasure, unaccompanied by the serious objections or expensive adjuncts herein recited.

What I claim, therefore, isy 1. A target composed of a series of' isolated sonorous plates, each of a dii'erent pitch or tone, combined'with a suitable support, substantially as herein described.

2. In combination with the reciprocating bulls-eye bolt, the hollow supporting-mandrel, and a bell at the rear thereof, substantially as described.

3. The combination of the reciprocating bulls-eye bolt, lever b, and gravitating-signal F, substantially as described.

4. A target provided `with a signal arranged to be projected and displayed by means actuated from a reciprocating bullseye bolt, which signal gravita-tes into its operative Or normal position, substantially as shown and described.

5. In a target composed of sounding plates or disks,:a supporting-mandrel, provided with a bearing for said plates at a single point or angular edge of said mandrel, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

THEODORE H. MEAD.

Witnesses:

N. WALTER ANTHONY, ROBERT COCHRAN. 

